


The Definition of Love

by orphan_account



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Angst, Fighting, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-22
Updated: 2012-12-22
Packaged: 2017-11-22 01:07:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/604144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He wishes that it hadn't taken such a fight to figure it out, but Zayn thinks he might've finally found the definition of love.<br/>For this prompt:<br/>ziall where someone is flirting with niall and niall lets them kinda oblivious to it. Zayn gets home nad starts shouting at niall about how hes a slut and whatnot and does something that has niall begging him not to hit him. Zayn feels horrified and comforts him and tells him he loves him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Definition of Love

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for this. Its not too great.

It’s a difficult thing, you know. Being in love.

Because there are so many different types of it.

It’s also a difficult thing to define. How do you know that you are truly in love with somebody? More so, how do you know if the love is true, since it is not a thing to be defined?

It’s dangerous, not knowing if you are or are not in love with someone.

Once, Zayn cut his finger while cooking.

He had to endure several stitches sitting plainly in his hand for three weeks while the cut healed. The doctor knew that the wound was deep, and that something had to be done, because he was medically trained. If the cut was infected, he would have known, because somewhere, some clever little man had sat down and wrote a definition for infections inside of wounds, so that others can know if they have one.

But love is different. Love cannot be defined.

+

Zayn stared wistfully, sudden flashes of jealousy flaring through him. The girl’s giggles were stabbing through his mind, cutting into his thoughts and dampening his good mood. His happy high from spending the night at a club was gone- replaced by anger and bitterness as he watched the scene before him.

“You should call me.” She murmured slyly, grinning up at Niall from beneath her thick eyelashes and releasing his hand that she had just finished inking her number with in annoyingly bright purple ink. Niall looked at her fondly, attentively.

“I will.”

Zayn was seething by that point, about ready to rip out his hair, or punch someone. Or both. His annoyance grew at Niall’s chipper tone when he approached him. “Ready to go home?”

“Yeah.”

+

“What’s up, Zayn? You’ve been acting weird since we left the club.” Zayn takes a drag, sighing and resisting the temptation to melt into his boyfriend’s embrace. He had resorted to smoking excessively to take his mind off the jealousy, but Niall and his perfect little arms wrapped around Zayn’s waist really weren’t helping.

He mutters a response and takes another drag, twisting his head around so that the smoke forms little patterns that stay in the frigid air for a few moments before disappearing.

“Don’t block me out. And you shouldn’t smoke, it’s going to kill you.” Niall rips the cigarette out of Zayn’s mouth and crushes it beneath his heel.

Zayn smirks and takes out another.

“Why do you do that to yourself?” Niall doesn’t try to take it again, but Zayn can hear the sadness in his voice.

“It makes me happy.” Zayn says bitterly, thinking about the stupid girl and her stupid short skirt and her stupid phone number written on Niall’s hand.

“Why do you need it to make you happy when you have me?” Niall replies cheekily, nudging Zayn with his hip and laughing.

Zayn doesn’t laugh with him.

“I don’t make you happy?” The smile is fading off Niall’s face, now. Growing dimmer and dimmer with every second that his question hangs unanswered in the air.

“What did I do wrong?” he asks quietly, positioning himself in front of Zayn so that he has no choice but to look at him.

“Nothing, it’s just… that girl.” Zayn shrugs, and Niall breathes out a sigh of relief.

“Oh that was nothing.” He laughs, and Zayn stiffens.

“It wasn’t nothing.” He mutters, taking another angry drag and looking everywhere but his boyfriend’s laughing face.

“Come on, Z. It was no big-“

Zayn rounds on Niall unexpectedly, sending him stumbling back a few inches.

“It wasn’t nothing! That is so like you!” his voice raises a few octaves, taking on a high-pitched tone that Niall would have laughed at in any other situation. Niall stutters and tries to explain, but Zayn cuts him off.

“You just shrug everything off, but it’s not nothing! You think you can just do whatever you want- say anything, do anything, flirt with anyone, with no regards to my feelings at all!” Zayn is practically screaming, elated and wild, his eyes filled with an anger that Niall has never seen. Niall shrinks back confusedly, racking his brain for a hint to what Zayn could possibly be talking about, but comes up with nothing.

“I don’t understand-“

“OF COURSE YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!” Zayn backs away and begins to pace, his thoughts falling out of his mouth in an endless rant that Niall struggles to keep up with.

“You never understand! You don’t know what it’s like! How do you think I felt, standing there watching you flirt with some whore at the club?! You were so into her, you don’t even care that I’m your boyfriend, do you?! Do you even want to be with me?! No, you don’t; you would rather go be a slut and sleep with random girls. Would that make you happy?! Would that satisfy you?! Because apparently I can’t!” Niall is shaking by now, the icy words sinking in and tearing at his insides, but Zayn keeps going, ignoring the constant stream of murmurs Niall is chanting. ” You absolute SLUT! How dare you?! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!” Zayn shoves a finger into Niall’s chest and pushes hard enough to knock him to the floor. Niall throws his arms up protectively over his face, and Zayn finally hears what Niall has been repeating.

“Don’t hit me. Please don’t hit me.”

Zayn realizes their position: Niall cowered on the ground, his body curled protectively in on himself, and Zayn towered over him, one hand gripped into Niall’s bicep and the other dangerously close the blonde’s face. His anger dissipates and his face crumples into guilt as he shakily releases his boyfriend, hating himself for scaring his boyfriend so much. Niall is crying, sobbing into his hands and edging his body away on the cold concrete.

“I’m so sorry” he whispers, hovering close but not touching, not wanting to freak him out.

“I wasn’t flirting!” Niall sobs. “She’s gay! I was giving her advice about her girlfriend and I didn’t want to keep you waiting so I just got her number!” he hiccups and chokes, trying to intake enough air. Zayn heart falls and his palms sweat, thinking did I just ruin everything? Guilt swims through him and he tentatively reaches a hand out and places it on Niall’s shoulder, and breathes out in relief when the boy melts into his touch.

“I’m sorry baby.” He murmurs, pulling the smaller boy into his arms and burying his head into the blonde hair, breathing in the familiar scent of peppermint gum. “I am so, so sorry. I didn’t mean any of it. I was just mad.” Niall grips his neck and his cries start to even out.

“You’re not a slut, and I love you. So much.” Zayn says truthfully, because he does.

That’s the first time either of them says the three words, and Zayn hates that it took this argument for him to realize it. But he knows it’s true; He knows that love is caring so much about someone that you physically hurt when they do, and he thinks that maybe he’s found the definition of love.

“I love you.” He repeats, gripping him even tighter, their bodies molding perfectly together. He reapeats the words, meaning each and every one that leaves his lips. “I love you.”

**Author's Note:**

> read on tumblr:  
> http://iloveniallhoran.tumblr.com/post/34953418477/the-definition-of-love-ziall-oneshot  
> go ahead and give me a follow?


End file.
